A brief conflict, or skirmish, occurred in 0.5 ABY amidst the larger Galactic Civil War. This clash unfolded on the planet known as Ord Mantell, pitting the forces of the Rebel Alliance against those of the Empire. Not long after their mission to the Graveyard, the Rebel Alliance's newly formed elite combat unit, Renegade Squadron, journeyed to Ord Mantell. Their purpose was to facilitate repairs on their primary transport, the famed Millennium Falcon. The Falcon had suffered significant damage during combat at the Graveyard. Renegade Squadron, jointly led by former smugglers Han Solo and Col Serra, was enjoying downtime at one of Ord Mantell's numerous cantinas. This respite was interrupted when the assassin droid designated IG-88 stormed into the cantina. IG-88 launched an attack on the rebels, motivated by the desire to claim the substantial bounty the Empire had placed on captured members of the Rebellion.
Despite the efforts of both the bounty hunter droid and the local Imperial garrison (which IG-88 had alerted to the Rebels' presence), Renegade Squadron managed to fight their way back to the hangar where the Falcon was located. The Renegades completed the necessary repairs on the Falcon. They also neutralized an Imperial anti-aircraft gun that was preventing their escape from Ord Mantell. After successfully defending against the attacking Imperial garrison and ultimately defeating IG-88, Renegade Squadron boarded the Falcon and departed from Ord Mantell.
Back in 0.5 ABY, amidst the ongoing Galactic Civil War between the Galactic Empire and the Rebel Alliance, there was Renegade Squadron. This was the Alliance's recently established elite fighting force composed of spacers, fringers, and other unique individuals. They were dispatched on a mission to the remnants of the destroyed planet Alderaan. The goal was to recover a holocron containing detailed information about several planets suitable for hosting a new Rebel base. This followed the loss of their base on the moon of Yavin 4. Under the joint command of smugglers-turned Rebel Commanders Han Solo and Commander Col Serra, the Renegades successfully secured the holocron. They prevented an Imperial fleet from seizing its valuable contents.
However, during the combat, General Solo's personal freighter, the Millennium Falcon, sustained substantial damage while searching for the holocron. After Renegade Squadron withdrew with the holocron, Alliance High Command instructed Solo and Renegade Squadron to proceed to the planet Ord Mantell. The purpose was to arrange for the Falcon's repairs. The Alliance believed that Ord Mantell was a relatively insignificant planet with a small Imperial garrison. As such, Renegade Squadron assumed they would be safe there. But, while the Renegades were relaxing in a cantina on Ord Mantell, the droid bounty hunter IG-88 located them. IG-88 was motivated by the bounty the Empire had offered for captured Rebels. IG-88 infiltrated the cantina and initiated an attack on the squadron. Soon after, the entire Imperial garrison became aware of the Renegades' presence on the planet.
As IG-88 commenced his assault on Renegade Squadron, several stormtroopers from the Imperial garrison also joined the fray. Nevertheless, the Renegades retaliated, and the majority of the squadron managed to retreat to the hangar. Upon reaching the hangar, the squadron discovered that the repairs on the Falcon were incomplete, effectively trapping them on Ord Mantell temporarily. Commander Serra instructed the Renegades to secure the junkyard surrounding the hangar and to scavenge for parts. This would allow Solo to repair the Falcon himself. After repelling the attacking stormtroopers, the Rebels successfully captured the junkyard. They utilized a T4-B heavy tank they had brought as support. Chewbacca, Solo's Wookiee companion and copilot, charged into the battle, under orders from Solo to find essential parts for their ship.
Serra directed Renegade Squadron to protect Chewbacca from the assaulting stormtroopers as the Wookiee searched for the necessary components. The Imperials then launched a larger attack wave, accompanied by TX-130T fighter tanks and AT-ST walkers from nearby trading outposts. Their objective was to eliminate Chewbacca before he could locate the parts. The Renegades managed to withstand the Empire's assault for several minutes, shielding Chewbacca from laser fire. Eventually, Chewbacca located all the required parts amidst the assorted debris and returned to the hangar.
After Chewbacca delivered the parts to the hangar, Solo informed his squadron about an anti-aircraft gun positioned on the other side of the junkyard at the trading outpost. This gun posed a threat to the Falcon during takeoff. Solo ordered the squadron to disable the turret at all costs. Renegade Squadron fought their way to the outpost, overcoming the stormtroopers defending the gun. However, upon reaching the outpost, they discovered that the anti-aircraft gun was protected by a deflector shield. This shield was strong enough to withstand any attack the Renegades could launch against the gun. Commander Serra quickly identified the location of the turret's shield generator at the facility's junk processor. He dispatched Renegade Squadron to destroy it.
After defeating the stormtroopers guarding the area, the Rebels detonated the generator, deactivating the anti-aircraft turret's shield. The Renegades returned to the trading outpost and destroyed the now-vulnerable turret. As soon as the turret was disabled, General Solo informed his squad that the Falcon required a new power core to become operational. He had located one back at the processor plant. Serra ordered a member of Renegade Squadron to return to the junk processor plant, retrieve the core, and bring it back to the hangar. The Rebel transported the power core back to the hangar, enabling Solo to complete the repairs on his ship.
Solo now possessed all the necessary parts to repair the Falcon, but he still needed time to fix the ship's damaged systems. Meanwhile, the Imperials had successfully pushed Renegade Squadron back to the hangar and were launching a final wave to prevent the Rebels' escape. Serra ordered the squadron to hold off the Imperial assault so that Solo could finish his repairs. The Renegades defended the hangar for several minutes, utilizing their T4-B tanks for support. The squadron successfully held back the Imperials as the repairs were completed.
However, as soon as Solo finished his repairs, IG-88 reappeared on the battlefield, leading the remaining Imperial troops, in an attempt to stop Renegade Squadron. Solo instructed the Renegades to destroy the droid and buy him enough time to complete the launch preparations for the Falcon. Despite the bounty hunter droid employing a wide range of weapons against the Renegades, the rebels managed to severely damage IG-88 and repel the last stormtroopers. Solo then informed his troops that the Falcon was ready for departure. The rebels boarded the cargo ship and left Ord Mantell permanently.
The Millennium Falcon jumped to hyperspace just as a squadron of Imperial Star Destroyers entered the system to intercept them. The remaining members of Renegade Squadron then met with Alliance command. They discovered that Gial Ackbar, the Alliance's Mon Calamarian Admiral, had been captured during a scouting mission and was now in Imperial custody. Renegade Squadron was dispatched to rescue Ackbar from the Imperials while the Admiral was being transported to the prison colony on Kessel.
Years later, after the fall of the Empire and the rise of the New Republic, Jedi Knight Tionne Solusar sought out Col Serra. She requested information about Renegade Squadron's history for her archives. Serra recounted numerous missions and exploits of Renegade Squadron, including their encounter with IG-88 on Ord Mantell.
The Skirmish on Ord Mantell was featured exclusively in the video game Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron. This game chronicles the various battles and exploits of Renegade Squadron during the Galactic Civil War. The battle itself constitutes the third level in the game's campaign mode.